Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
  • B65D11/02—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material of curved cross-section
  • B65D11/04—Bottles or similar containers with necks or like restricted apertures designed for pouring contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D11/00—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material
  • B65D11/02—Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of plastics material of curved cross-section
  • B65D11/06—Drums or barrels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
  • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
  • B65D77/048—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another the inner and outer containers being rigid and the outer container being of curved cross-section, e.g. cylindrical
  • B65D77/0486—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another the inner and outer containers being rigid and the outer container being of curved cross-section, e.g. cylindrical the inner container being coaxially disposed within the outer container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D77/00—Packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers, e.g. boxes, cartons, sacks or bags
  • B65D77/04—Articles or materials enclosed in two or more containers disposed one within another
  • B65D77/06—Liquids or semi-liquids or other materials or articles enclosed in flexible containers disposed within rigid containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/70—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for
  • B65D85/72—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for materials not otherwise provided for for edible or potable liquids, semiliquids, or plastic or pasty materials
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
  • B67C3/00—Bottling liquids or semiliquids; Filling jars or cans with liquids or semiliquids using bottling or like apparatus; Filling casks or barrels with liquids or semiliquids
  • B67C3/30—Filling of barrels or casks
  • B67C3/32—Filling of barrels or casks using counterpressure, i.e. filling while the container is under pressure

Definitions

• the invention relates to a container for liquids, such as beverages, e.g. beer, soft drink and wine, and liquids with a relatively high viscosity, e.g. edible oil, comprising a blow moulded polyester and preferably spherical or spheroid casing, a valve for dispensing the liquid from the container, and an inlet for introducing a propellant, which inlet is typically integrated in the valve.
• a container for liquids such as beverages, e.g. beer, soft drink and wine
• liquids with a relatively high viscosity e.g. edible oil
• EP 862 535 relates to a container for fluids comprising an outer and preferably ellipsoid casing of a flexible, pressure resistant material, a gastight inner casing of flexible material located inside the outer casing, and a filling connection for filling the inner casing.
• EP 1 736 421 relates to a lightweight container for fluids, in particular liquids, such as beer or water, comprising a spherical or spheroid casing, a valve part for filling the container with a fluid and an outer package typically made of cardboard surrounding the casing.
• a similar lightweight container is known from EP 2 038 187.
• the casing is made of blow moulded PET.
• the liquid content of the container is gradually replaced by pressurized gas.
• Pressurized gas has a high energy content, which means that if the container is cut, punctured or otherwise damaged and fails, it will burst in an explosive manner. Explosive bursting may result in shrapnel and injury, e.g. damaged hearing of people close by.
• explosive bursting occurs when the container has been installed for dispensing, e.g. through contact with cigarettes, hot air outlets of coolers or sharps behind the bar or stress cracking resulting from exposure to aggressive (caustic) cleaning agents. Explosive bursting also occurs when users want to dispose of an empty container and - disregarding safety guidelines - cut or stab the container with a knife or other implement.
• the container according to the invention is characterized in that the casing is enveloped by a stretch blow moulded polyester shell.
• the shell supports the casing at least when the latter is pressurized, e.g. the internal pressure urges the casing against the shell.
• the stretch blow moulded polyester shell was found to provide a relatively high retained strength of the container after the shell and casing have been cut,
• the shell enables a design that is lighter than containers having a cardboard or e.g. HDPE shell and/or increases design freedom especially with regard to external features, e.g. a stable base as will be
• the burst strength of the container is at least 20%, preferably at least 30% higher than the burst strength of just the casing.
• Burst strength is defined as the pressure, in bar, at which the container respectively the casing bursts, when at 20°C and when the pressure is gradually increased with 1 bar per 10 seconds.
• the relative expansion of the container when exposed to 5 bar internal pressure and 40°C during 2 days, is less than 3%, preferably less than 2%, more preferably less than 1,5% higher than the expansion of an identical container exposed to 2 bar internal pressure and 20°C during 2 days.
• Low expansion is especially relevant for liquids containing a gas with low solubility. Nitrogen (N 2 ) , for instance, has a poor solubility in water and thus only a small amount of nitrogen can be added to beer.
• the volume of the container increases permanently by only a small percentage, e.g. due to creep at elevated
• the shell comprises two separate parts, e.g. divided along a circumference of the shell, and at least one of the parts, preferably the top part, is clamp fitted on the casing when the latter is pressurized.
• the shell can be blow moulded from a preform and additional means, such as a lid, necessary for inserting the casing into the shell and subsequently closing the shell may be avoided.
• clamp fitted implies that a force of at least 300 N, preferably at least 500 N in axial direction is required to separate the parts of the shell from the casing.
• the casing when lifting a container holding twenty liters, or thirty or fifty liters as the case may be, of a beverage by the shell, the casing will not slide with respect to the shell.
• the remaining part of the shell can be secured, e.g. by clamping, glueing and/or welding, in the bottom side of the part clamp fitted on the casing.
• the two parts overlap, preferably by at least 1 centimeter, more preferably by at least 5 centimeters.
• This overlap may extend e.g. over the whole cylindrical section of the container resulting in a three layered structure in this part of the container.
• a separately formed foot optionally made of a different material, can be secured in the shell and/or to the casing.
• the rim of one part of the shell overlaps the rim of the other part of the shell.
• the parts of the shell are glued or taped to the casing.
• the stretch blow moulded shell suppresses or prevents explosive bursting even in elongate containers, e.g. containers having a relatively high length to width ratio (L/D) and/or a relatively long cylindrical portion.
• elongate containers e.g. containers having a relatively high length to width ratio (L/D) and/or a relatively long cylindrical portion.
• L/D length to width ratio
• the casing has an internal volume of at least 10, preferably at least 15, more preferably at least 20 liters and the length to width ratio (L/D) of the casing is in excess of 1,5, preferably in excess of 2.
• the container comprises a cylindrical portion that extends over at least 25%, preferably at least 40%, more preferably at least 50% of the height of the container.
• the wall thickness of both the casing and the shell is in a range from 0,1 to 1,0 mm, preferably in a range from 0,3 to 0,6 mm, providing a total wall thickness of up to 2,0 mm, and, e.g. if parts of the shell overlap each other, locally even up to 3,0 mm, which currently cannot be achieved by blowing a single preform. Puncture resistance is further improved if the shell is embossed about its circumference so as to increase the actual or at least the effective thickness in the radial direction. Also, embossing reduces the risk of damage to the container when the container is rolled over a rough surface e.g. from a truck to storage.
• the container is filled with a pressurized gas and no beverage, i.e. the container is pressurized prior to filling, e.g. with air or carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen at a pressure in excess of 1,5 bar.
• the container can be readily filled with a liquid containing a gas, such as beer.
• WO 00/78665 relates to a beer container comprising an inner hollow shell of blow moulded PET to hold beer, an outer hollow shell of molded high density polyethylene
• HDPE high density polyethylene
• spear structure including a dispenser tube extending from a bottom interior region of the inner shell through to a dispensing outlet at the top of the outer shell.
• a 30 liter keg of this type typically weighs about three kilograms.
• extrusion blow moulded HDPE is inferior when it comes to preventing explosive bursting of containers holding a gas at higher pressures.
• US 2010/0077790 relates to a plastic beer keg includes an outer container and an inner liner.
• a removable lid is secured over an opening to the container to enclose the liner. In use, the lid can be removed and ice placed in the container directly on the liner, ice flows into gaps between the liner and the container to provide rapid cooling of the content of the liner.
• the liner may be PET, the container and lid may be HDPE, polypropylene or another suitable material.
• EP 389 191 relates to a container for transport, storage and dispensing of beverages, such as beer,
• stretch blow moulding refers to blow moulding and thus stretching a preform, in both the circumferential (hoop) direction and the axial direction.
• centroid includes any shape generated by a half-revolution of a circle or a square or rectangle with rounded corners or an ellipse or oval about its major axis or minor axis.
• Figures 1A and IB show a cross-section through and a detail of a container according to the present invention.
• Figures 2 to 4 show a stack and variations of the container in Figures 1A and IB.
• Figures 5A/5B and 6A/6B show cross-sections and bottom views of containers according to the present
• Figures 7A to 7C show cross-sections of a container according to the present invention comprising a cylindrical portion with increased wall thickness.
• Figure 1 shows a container 1 for a beverage containing a gas, in particular beer, comprises a casing 2 made by stretch blow moulding a polyester preform, in particular PET (polyethylene terephthalate ) .
• the casing 2 comprises a substantially cylindrical middle portion 2A and top and bottom domes 2B, 2C.
• the top dome 2B has a central opening 3 formed by the non-deformed part of the preform.
• valve part 4 for dispensing the beverage from the container is snap-fitted to the opening 3.
• the valve part 4 comprises an outer jacket 5, an inner jacket 6 slidably received inside the outer jacket 6, and a closing element 7 which, in turn, is slidably received inside the inner jacket 6.
• the inner jacket and the closing element can be made of a polyolefin such as PE or PP.
• the valve part is made of PA or PET, preferably in its entirety.
• a gastight bag 8 for receiving the beverage is connected to the valve part 4 and located inside the casing 2.
• the bag 8 comprises two, in this example polygonal, flexible sheets of a gas and liquid tight
• the laminate preferably a laminate comprising a sealing layer (e.g., PE or PP) , a barrier layer (e.g. aluminum) and one or more further layers (e.g. PA and/or PET), sealed together along their edges, e.g. by means of welding.
• a sealing layer e.g., PE or PP
• a barrier layer e.g. aluminum
• one or more further layers e.g. PA and/or PET
• the barrier function can be shared with or shifted to the casing rendering the casing impermeable to carbon dioxide, oxygen and/or nitrogen.
• the casing may comprise additives, a coating or a plurality of layers.
• the casing 2 is enveloped by a stretch blow moulded polyester shell 9.
• the shell comprises two parts 9A, 9B, separated along a circumference, i.e. in hoop direction, of the shell 9.
• the casing 2 expands and firmly abuts the inner wall of the shell 9.
• the parts 9A, 9B are both clamp fitted on the casing 2.
• the shell was blow moulded from a preform similar to that used for the casing but with a different rim. Also, in contrast to the casing, which preferably should have a smooth shape defined by a cylinder and two domes to
• the shell may be provided with one or more features providing additional functionality.
• the shell may comprise one or more handles defined in, in particular, the top portion.
• handles include a notch 10 spanning the circumference of the shell 9, as shown in Figures 1A, 3 and 4, or two grips on opposite sides of the shell or a radial flange 11 extending from the upper rim of the shell, as shown in Figure 2.
• the top part 9A of the shell further comprises a collar 12 extending around the valve part and protecting the same.
• the base 9B can be provided with features enabling a stable upright position of the container.
• the shell comprises a petaloid foot 12, similar to those employed in 1,5 liter bottles for soft drink.
• the foot provides a crumble zone protecting the container when it falls.
• top and base of the shell are preferably shaped to render the container stackable, as shown in Figure 4.
• the base comprises a recess which is complementary to the collar or the lobs of the petaloid base define a (non-continuous) recess which corresponds to the collar.
• the container has an overall length of
• embossing may comprises a large number of small protrusions on the outer surface of the shell, yielding e.g. a knurled surface, and/or may comprise a plurality of rings about the circumference of the
• the shell comprises at least two rings extending about the circumference of the shell and spaced apart in axial direction. Such rings facilitate rolling the container e.g. from a truck to storage and reduce the risk of damage to the inner casing inflicted by small sharps on the surface.
• FIGS 5A and 5B show a further embodiment of the container according to the present invention.
• the casing 2 is again enveloped by a stretch blow moulded polyester shell 9.
• the shell comprises two parts 9A, 9B, separated along a circumference, i.e. in hoop direction, of the shell 9, relatively close to the bottom of the shell, such that the top part of the shell is longer than the casing.
• the lower rim of the upper part of the shell extends beyond the bottom of the casing and serves as the foot or part of the foot of the container.
• the wall is corrugated to increase its effective thickness and stiffness and/or the wall is actually thicker, preferably at least two times thicker, than the wall of the cylindrical section of the shell.
• the base 9B can be discarded or be used to further increase the strength and stability of the foot.
• the base part is provided with creased and radially extending segments to enhance the stiffness of the base, in turn facilitating a stable upright position of the container, and to provide a crumble zone protecting the container when it falls.
• the base part defines a petaloid foot 12 and is placed, e.g. pressed, inside the bottom end of the top part of the shell.
• the base part can be clamped, glued, and/or welded into the top part of the shell.
• the base part was reversed before being inserted in the bottom end of the top part, thus significantly increasing, e.g. doubling, the wall thickness at the lower rim of the shell.
• the center of the base is shaped complementary to the bottom end of the casing, thus providing support over a relatively large area.
• the cross- section of the upper rim of the base part differs from that of the lower rim of the top part of the shell, both in diameter and in shape.
• the shell is preferably formed with a transition between the two parts 9A, 9B and these parts are each separated from the transition, e.g. by two (laser) cuts in the hoop direction of the shell 9.
• Figures 7A to 7C show a container according to the present invention which in most respects corresponds to the container shown in Figure 1A and IB but with a casing 2 and shell 9 having an L/D of approximately 1 and a relatively short cylindrical section.
• the shell is considerably longer than the casing, preferably by a length that corresponds to the length of the cylindrical portion of the casing. In other words, the length of the cylindrical portion of the shell is twice the length of the cylindrical portion of the casing.
• the container shown in Figures 7A to 7C comprises an external thread or annular protrusion about the top opening for screwing or snapping e.g. grips onto the container .
• the shell was blow moulded from a preform similar to that used for the casing but with a different rim.
• the shell may be provided with one or more features providing additional functionality .
• the stretch blow moulded polyester shell was found to provide a relatively high retained strength of the container when the shell and casing are punctured, thus avoiding explosive bursting and enabling a more gradual blowing off of the pressurized gas inside the casing.
• the shell is resistant to water and enables a design that is lighter and stronger than containers having a cardboard shell. Due to the increased strength, the
• container according to the present invention is in principle suitable for beverages containing high concentrations of gas, e.g. 7 gram/liter carbon dioxide, at higher
• both the casing and the shell are stretch blow moulded from a preform
• logistics can be simplified e.g. by supplying just preforms and bags to brewers the containers can be mold blown and assembled on site, avoiding bulky transport.
• the container can be equipped with a spear extending from the valve part to the bottom of the casing.

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• 2011
  • 2011-04-26 US US13/643,610 patent/US10815033B2/en active Active
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